


Cradle

by Fudgyokra



Series: BruDick Week 2021 [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Past Relationship(s), Pregnancy Scares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:15:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29226840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fudgyokra/pseuds/Fudgyokra
Summary: In his bedroom's attached bathroom, the test laid on the edge of the sink.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Bruce Wayne
Series: BruDick Week 2021 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2127891
Comments: 14
Kudos: 132
Collections: BruDick Week 2021





	Cradle

**Author's Note:**

> Day 7: ~~High School AU~~ | Free Prompt | Omegaverse
> 
> I’m actually cheating a bit here, because I’m using the free prompt to make up for the fact that I missed day three’s “You dated the mercenary?” prompt, which I really wanted to write. And, even though this is super late, since it _was_ meant for day seven, I’m combining it with Omegaverse!

Dick wished the floors of the Manor creaked less.

He was taking his time weaving through hallways on his path to the kitchen, hoping to put off the conversation he was about to have for as long as possible. Anything he could do to stall, he was already doing: Like focusing for too long on how the late morning light bled the color from the walls, washing all the gold and gilt of passing portraits in gray.

Everyone downstairs could hear him coming, though, and they’d be suspicious if he spent any more time ambling. He knew from experience that every odd step came with a groan from the old wood beneath his feet.

In his bedroom's attached bathroom, the test laid on the edge of the sink. Although he’d left it behind for his trek downstairs, the anxious weight of it remained with him, settling in his gut not unlike the pup that may soon be there to accompany it.

It wasn’t the potential child that scared him, really. He and Bruce had finally addressed their casual relationship—the odd night spent together that they would always brush off in the morning, leaving Dick uncertain of where they stood—and had bitten the bullet of making it exclusive just two brief weeks ago. They’re steady, stable, in love. Ready for a kid, he liked to think.

The problem _was_ the freshness of the official bond. It was new enough that…well. Certain issues had crept up on him.

That was what had him grasping the edge of the island countertop the moment he arrived, holding until his knuckles turned white even though his smile was plenty lively where Bruce, Alfred, and Tim could see.

“Good morning, Master Richard,” Alfred greeted. “I’m sorry to say your late rising caused you to miss out on banana pancakes.”

“Damian took off with the rest,” Tim said while he jabbed his fork into a piece of bacon without looking away from his screen. “All that’s left is eggs.”

“They’re cold,” Bruce informed him, and while Tim and Alfred seemed to be involved with their own tasks, he was staring over the lip of his coffee mug straight at Dick like he could already sense his nerves from here. Knowing him, he probably could. “Late morning?”

“Oh, yeah. You know me, I like to sleep in when I can.” Dick grabbed the cold eggs, setting them in front of his usual seat at the bar. He didn’t make a move to eat them. “Actually, I need to talk to you.”

Immediately, Alfred and Tim straightened. Imperceptible to the casual onlooker, but definitely in reaction to that and nothing else.

“It’s fine,” he added, knowing it would do little to help but needing to get the sentiment out all the same. “Just let me know when you’re free, is all.”

Without missing a beat, Bruce said, “I’m free.” He set the coffee down, and although his expression hadn’t changed beyond a slight tick of his brows, Dick saw curiosity all over him.

He weighed his options. He could tell the good news now, in front of Alfred and Tim, with the possibility of Damian and Duke popping in at the reactions. It would be all well and good, except for the fact he’d have to leave out the issue for the sake of the rest of the family. Or, he could wait until he and Bruce had a moment to themselves so he could get the damn issue out of his system without turning his own personal drama into an episode of the Maury Povich show.

He let his smile grow mischievous. There were ways he could get everyone to scram without making it look like bad news, and this was always the easiest: “I was hoping for a word…you know, alone.” Making his inflection playful was probably enough, but for good measure he leaned forward on his palm and bit his lip, too.

Tim sighed. “All right, I’m heading out. See you guys later. Hope your talk goes well.” He pushed his stool away from the counter, taking his bacon with him.

Alfred dutifully tinkered with a few more things in the kitchen and then disappeared himself, leaving them alone. Save for the possibility of the others interrupting—which they normally did not, tending to be too involved in their own activities—this was a more ideal scenario.

Too bad it didn’t relieve any of Dick’s anxiety.

Better just to rip the band-aid off. “I think I might be pregnant.”

Whatever Bruce had been expecting him to say, it was clearly not this, judging by the way his mouth opened as if he was going to speak, only to close again. The news hung in limbo for a second longer, then: “I see.”

Despite himself, Dick couldn’t restrain a snort. “Yeah.”

“What does ‘might’ entail?”

“I need to take another test or two to make sure, just in case this was a false positive.”

Bruce was silent, so Dick allowed him to mull everything over before he jumped in with the scary part.

“There’s more.” When Bruce said it, it wasn’t a question. He could tell the truth from the look on Dick’s face alone, most likely.

Dick tried not to deflate, but the way Bruce’s brows furrowed in concern suggested he had failed. “There’s a possibility it isn’t…yours.”

Bruce closed his eyes, nodded once, and opened them again.

Yep, he was mad. Fantastic.

Dick didn’t admit his own dislike of the situation, nor did he remind Bruce that they hadn’t technically been _together_ together until recently. None of that would have helped, anyway. This was where they were now, a point in history that couldn’t be changed and simply had to be dealt with as it was.

“Whose could it be?”

Admittedly, it was a surprise to Dick that Bruce asked at all. He expected a period of brooding, sure, but ultimately acceptance. And, of course, a test after the baby was born, simply because Bruce hated not knowing all the answers. Beyond that, it shouldn’t have mattered. The kid was going to be Bruce’s at the end of the day anyway, genetics be damned. They were a _pack,_ and no one else got a say. Their whole family would make sure of that.

This, though, Dick hadn’t quite prepared for. Undoubtedly, Bruce could smell the distress radiating off of him, but the fact he did not move to help cranked the panic in Dick’s system that much higher. Maybe he really had screwed up.

“Well. For a while, I was staying with Joe and his family.”

It was instinctive to mention the most desirable variable first, but Bruce was by no means a stupid man. He could piece the rest together from there. His voice came out remarkably more calm than what Dick was anticipating. “The Wilsons comprise an entire pack of alphas, and, from what I hear, they tend to share preferences when it comes to significant others.”

An accusation without actually making an accusation. _Just_ like Bruce.

Dick sighed. “It could also be Rose’s, yes.”

“So you mean to tell me that you’ve been involved with not one, but two members of the Wilson family?”

Dick was silent for a few seconds too long.

Bruce’s face changed, his eyes now practically radiating heat. If looks could kill, he may as well have been Superman activating his lasers. “Please,” he began, with none of the politeness that should’ve been associated with the word, “tell me your silence means something other than what I think it does.”

The quiet stretched onward. Bruce appeared to be getting his brain back online, like a total system reboot had just stopped him in his tracks. “Was it Grant?” The weariness in his voice meant he already knew the answer. In any other situation, Dick might have found this funny, but, as it stood, it was a mortifying moment of human interaction. He never thought he’d be having this conversation.

“No.”

“You dated the mercenary?”

“I don’t think I’d call it ‘dating,’ per se.”

“You know what I mean, Dick.”

“Yes, okay? We were…yeah.” He steeled himself for the question that had to be asked, even if he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer. “Why does that bother you so much?”

“It doesn’t.”

“Bruce, you look like you’re about to punch a hole through the wall.”

As could be reasonably expected, Bruce grunted. It was not a denial, though, and Dick resolved not to move from his spot until he’d done his best to pry the truth out of him. Something in his chest fluttered with a beat like hummingbird wings, agitated but impossibly curious.

“It’s not because of what he is, is it?”

“A killer?”

It took effort for Dick not to flinch. “But that’s not what makes you hate it so much.”

“I never said I hated it.”

Frustration took over. “Bruce, I’m not a moron! Anyone in a hundred-mile radius can see that you’re pissed about this. For the record, I’m not thrilled, either! In a perfect world, I wouldn’t have to be unsure. I’d know it was yours, and we’d be on our merry way with this baby, no problem.”

Bruce’s frown tightened, becoming nothing more than a grim line. He was no longer looking Dick in the eye. “And you would prefer it to be mine?”

Dick’s eyes widened the barest bit. Relief shouldn’t have been the first response, he knew, but something in him felt better knowing that at least they both had their fears. He sighed, one long exhale as he thought through his words. “Of course, B. That’s why I’m telling you this. You think I would’ve come down here shaking in my socks if I knew it was yours?”

Silence. Bruce was uncertain of the answer to that.

Sensation gripped Dick’s heart in earnest. He sighed again, rising from his seat to round Bruce’s chair and settle his hands on the man’s shoulders. Shifting, he leaned against the stubble on Bruce’s jaw, purring comforts until Bruce made a small huffing noise and lifted a hand to pet Dick’s hair. Good. An improvement.

Bruce cleared his throat. “I am not fond of the idea that my failure to see what was in front of me drove you to another pack leader.”

A very polite way to say _I’m upset I drove you into the arms of an older man._

Dick scoffed. “There’s nothing I could get from him that I wouldn’t rather get from you.”

Bruce turned his head, dislodging Dick from his spot just enough to regard him seriously. His expression was hard to read, as always, but soon enough softened just the way Dick liked to see.

“We’ll get through it, B,” he reassured him. “It’ll be okay.”

* * *

Two tests sat on the edge of the bathroom sink.

Bruce stood beside him, but neither of them were willing to move or even blink as the twin minus signs slowly faded into view. The first had been a false positive, after all.

The heavy silence marched onward, long after they had tossed the tests into the trash can and Dick had padded back into the master bedroom to sit on the bed, clutching at the front of the robe he’d borrowed from Bruce’s closet.

“I guess I should be relieved,” he admitted at last, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “But part of me was looking forward to another kid. Damian’s almost out of the nest, and it just seemed like… I don’t know, like the right time to have one myself.”

Bruce glanced toward the bedroom door before sitting beside him, fingers brushing the side of Dick’s jaw to tilt his head for a kiss. Soft at first, then deeper, and deeper still. By the time he pulled back, Dick felt a burning glow in his face, mouth feeling downright ravaged.

“What was that for?” he asked.

“It was the only way I could think of to suggest my help with that.”

Dick laughed, an abrupt peal of sound. “Oh! Well…” He wasn’t above batting his eyelashes, not when Bruce always caved for the coy act. Pointedly, he scooted in closer. “In that case, we have a whole morning to work on that. Leaves no room for surprises.”

“Absolutely not.”

Dick purred at the tone, a tinge of possessiveness coloring the words spoken as he was urged onto his back on the mattress.

“Mine,” Bruce muttered against the tender skin of Dick’s scent gland, tongue laving across it with no hesitation. Dick hummed at the suggestive contact, roused at the thought of making their pack a little bigger.

“Me?” he teased. “Or the pup?”

A nip at his throat dragged a moan from him. “Both,” Bruce rasped. “And that is a promise.”


End file.
